One hundred and thirty-five (135) youth from the districts of Anse La Raye, Gros Islet and Vieux Fort, spent time building life skills with their peers, through sports, song, dance, games and art, in 3 non-residential camps over the Easter holidays, dubbed Youth Easter Connect! The camps were part of the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports (MYDS) 2023 plan to guide young people to become agents of peace in the communities where they live, play and learn. In this joint effort with USAID’s Youth Resilience, Inclusion and Empowerment (Y-RIE) Project, and the National Youth Council (SLNYC), the camps reached youth 12-17 years, providing essential life skills in leadership, conflict resolution and teamwork.
The camps were spearheaded by the Ministry as part of its plan to celebrate 2023 as the ‘Year of the Youth’ under the theme of Safety and Security. In the current environment, increasingly fraught with violent incidents occurring in hotspots around the island, the camps provided a safe space for young people to spend their Easter break, while being introduced to activities that empower them to become peacebuilders within their own communities. Through the camps, the MYDS is responding to concerns expressed by parents, teachers and guardians about the limited programming available for youth after school and during holiday breaks, with parents having to balance economic priorities with the need to provide adequate supervision of their children.
Each day, campers were exposed to age-appropriate conflict resolution activities using a life and soft skills curriculum, designed to guide youth in managing interpersonal conflict, while focusing on their own unique assets in preventing violence. 27 community youth leaders from the SLNYC, youth workers and officers from the MYDS delivered the curriculum using a range of approaches including sports, music, dance, art, and other creative expressions. A session on safety in the use of social media was also included.
At the closing ceremony, campers exhibited artwork and journals, and demonstrated newly acquired skills and ideas in their quest to become peacebuilders in their communities. In a brief address, Minister for Youth Development and Sports, Hon. Kenson Casimir thanked the Ministry’s partners for their support indicating that “We’re seeing the manifestation of hard work between USAID, the Government of Saint Lucia through the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and of course the National Youth Council.” Camp activities were designed and delivered using a positive youth development (PYD) approach, which is built on the premise of youth as assets, having potential and a capacity to bring about positive changes, given a supportive and enabling environment.
Campers found the environment and activities “inspiring” and “fun”, with a frequent refrain that “The camp was fun, exciting, opened doors and gave campers more knowledge on how to work with each other.” One camper shared with the audience at the closing ceremony, “Throughout the camp I learnt how to manage my anger and about self-control. It helped me to become nicer to people. It was fun. I made a lot of new friends. I learnt about conflict resolution. It helped because I was in a conflict with another person and I learned how to resolve it.”
Youth Easter Connect! benefited from contributions from the business community who rallied to support efforts that would help to address violence prevention and positive youth development. Business owners agree that these efforts contribute to the overall wellbeing of the island’s youth. The camps in Gros Islet and Anse La Raye ended on Tuesday, April 18 and in Vieux Fort on Wednesday, April 19. The Ministry anticipates supporting similar camps during the summer.
